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Scuba Forum / General / July 2007Trip report- Great Barrier Reef off the Whitsunday Island
Left earliest on the Thursday morning 28/5 for the airport and our flight up to Hamilton Island which is about 900km north of Brisbane in Queensland. Flights were,Ok even with SWMBO and the 4 screamers. Got our luggage and got a lift to the marina to meet up with the rest of the fellows and my first look at me mates 52 foot Riviera (?) that would be out diving platform for this trip. Drop SWMBO and the kids at Daydream Island to meet up with extended family and than headed out to the reef. What can I say about the diving it was fantastic. We dived at a mixture of known dive sites but also at many sites which we felt just looked good. There were 8 of us on board and we divided into a diving group and a duty pair. The duty pair did 1/2 a day which involved the cooking cleaning etc and also the manning of the main boat and the inflatable while the others were diving. Mostly the group in the water stuck in a very loose gaggle so it was easy to make pick ups if necessary. Some of the younger blokes were doing 6 dives in a day but my max was 4 and mostly I did 3 :- morning afternoon and a dusk/night dive. The water was warm 18 degrees or so and the vis was normally fantastic 20m+ although we had a few dives where is was down to 5 m or so due to the currents running around the atolls/islands. The next Thursday we head back to Daydream and I spent 2 nights there with the family before heading back to Sydney to watch Aus play South Africa in a tri nations rugby test. Finally home on the Sunday It was a fantastic trip and being a bit parochial IMHO and with my somewhat limited OS diving experience the GBR has some of the best diving in the world. Highlights 1) going back to Daydream Island on the first Saturday night and watching Australia beat the All Blacks ( New Zealand ) in rugby on a huge outdoor screen, cold beer, the moon the stars and the Southern Cross in the background 2) finishing a dive and not being able to get back to the boat because there was a whale between us, absolutely magic floating around watching this creature 3) coming up from a dive and bitching because the vis was 15m not the normal 20m vis, than remembering that where I normally dive 8 to 10m is good 4) just the diving the coral the fish the rays and sharks Comments 1) the camera was great but I found myself always looking for the great photo not enjoying the dive so I limited myself to 1 dive a day with it 2) by the end of the trip I was feeling quite jaded with the diving maybe a week is to long Oh well I have the memories I am typing this with the temp at 4 degrees C it is pissing down with rain and I am cold and wet after feeding the horses and cattle. Hopefully I will post some photos in the not to distant future "dechucka" <dechucka@vomithotmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :What can I say about the diving it was fantastic. We dived at a mixture of :known dive sites but also at many sites which we felt just looked good. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] :were diving. Mostly the group in the water stuck in a very loose gaggle so :it was easy to make pick ups if necessary. Duty group? Cooking, cleaning? Not really my style but glad you had a good time. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. > "dechucka" <dechucka@vomithotmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Duty group? Cooking, cleaning? Not really my style but glad you had > a good time. I did have a great time and the duty was not bad. Cook for the buggers make sure the boat wasn't too disgusting, tanks were OK and the rest of the time fishing and keeping an eye on those who were diving. Bit different from a catered liveaboard but it was a great experience and you do the duty so you don't pay the money. I must admit the whole thing was not to formal so if you didn't want to do a duty because you wanted to do a particular dive someone would do your shift maybe. Great time > Left earliest on the Thursday morning 28/5 for the airport and our flight up > to Hamilton Island which is about 900km north of Brisbane in Queensland. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > this trip. Drop SWMBO and the kids at Daydream Island to meet up with > extended family and than headed out to the reef. Dayum! You got SWMBO down under too? We up here think of distant places like Down Under as an escape from that. > What can I say about the diving it was fantastic. We dived at a mixture of > known dive sites but also at many sites which we felt just looked good. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > had a few dives where is was down to 5 m or so due to the currents running > around the atolls/islands. 18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. > The next Thursday we head back to Daydream and I spent 2 nights there with > the family before heading back to Sydney to watch Aus play South Africa in a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > screen, cold beer, the moon the stars and the Southern Cross in the > background Trade rugby for hockey (the ice kind) and you've got it right. We can't actually see the Southern Cross, but after a few wobblypops it starts to come into focus. > 2) finishing a dive and not being able to get back to the boat because there > was a whale between us, absolutely magic floating around watching this > creature That's very good. > 3) coming up from a dive and bitching because the vis was 15m not the normal > 20m vis, than remembering that where I normally dive 8 to 10m is good Holidays spoil a man. > 4) just the diving the coral the fish the rays and sharks > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 2) by the end of the trip I was feeling quite jaded with the diving maybe a > week is to long Give yer head a shake. If it gets old take the camera down again. > Oh well I have the memories I am typing this with the temp at 4 degrees C it > is pissing down with rain and I am cold and wet after feeding the horses and > cattle. Hey. Aren't you the same guy said 18 degrees was warm diving? 4 degrees isn't much different from 18. > Hopefully I will post some photos in the not to distant future You'd better. We want pics of Wobblygongs or whatever those little crotchbiter sharks are called. JF > 18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. And down here it's frozen solid. >> 18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. > > And down here it's frozen solid. talking Celsius not F > >> 18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. > > > And down here it's frozen solid. > > talking Celsius not F Why would you do that? Only a 7 degree difference between a warm and a cold water dive doesn't make sense. Celsius is way too limiting for complaining about water temperature. We Americans have many gradations of cold to warm. How can you really experience life without being able to tell the fine distinction between, say, 78 and 80 degrees? Might as well leave out the numbers altogether and just say cold or warm. >> >> 18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > 80 degrees? Might as well leave out the numbers altogether and just > say cold or warm. we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate Same with bar. It's a lot easier to tell your buddy you have 1,500 psi left rather than saying you have 103.421172 bar, but whatever floats your boat. >> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > > Same with bar. > > It's a lot easier to tell your buddy you have 1,500 psi left rather > than saying you have 103.421172 bar, but whatever floats your boat. well you use what you have. IMHO metric is a lot more logical compared to the imperial system. Saying that I still think of peoples height in feet and inches to a certain extent and still use psi when diving and filling up the car tyres. "dechucka" <dechucka@vomithotmail.com> sexuallly excited me with: >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > feet and inches to a certain extent and still use psi when diving and > filling up the car tyres. I use metric when I'm filling up my blow up little boy love dolls. There's something really sexy about the saying "bars". It just gets you all horny, eh? Oh Chucky, quit playing so hard to get! I'll let you be on top! Scott Koplin, posting as Carl Nisarel <hostlbuddha@postmaster.co.uk> admitted: > I use metric when I'm filling up my blow up little boy love > dolls. There's something really sexy about the saying "bars". > It just gets you all horny, eh?  SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > and inches to a certain extent and still use psi when diving and filling > up the car tyres. that's crap I use bars when diving ( brain explosion on my part). The signal for 103.421172 bar is 10 fingers held up or 5 fingers held up twice. So what is your signal for 725.188 690 036 pound/square inch which is a figure I am always interested in when diving > >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > is your signal for 725.188 690 036 pound/square inch which is a figure I am > always interested in when diving Usually, when my buddy wants to know how much gas I've got, I just show them my gauge. I don't really have to worry about "signals" that way. > Usually, when my buddy wants to know how much gas I've got, I just show them > my gauge. > I don't really have to worry about "signals" that way. Thing is, when you do that you are removing part of the reason I signal someone to tell me how much gas they have, and that is to assess your level of comfort, awareness and narcosis. Really, I don't even have to ask, I can just look at your gauge. > > Usually, when my buddy wants to know how much gas I've got, I just show > them [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > of comfort, awareness and narcosis. Really, I don't even have to ask, I can > just look at your gauge. So far I haven't been in a position that it would matter anyway. My deepest dive to date is less than 60 feet. Just do something funny underwater and I'll flash you a "turkey-diver" signal. That'll pretty much tell you everything you need to know about my narc and comfort level... particularly if I'm smiling when I do it. > So far I haven't been in a position that it would matter anyway. You might be suprised... > My deepest dive to date is less than 60 feet. > Just do something funny underwater and I'll flash you a "turkey-diver" > signal. That'll pretty much tell you everything you need to know about my > narc and comfort level... particularly if I'm smiling when I do it. OK, thats a new one. > > So far I haven't been in a position that it would matter anyway. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > OK, thats a new one. If we ever get to dive together, I'll show you. > So far I haven't been in a position that it would matter anyway. > > My deepest dive to date is less than 60 feet. Awh, 'ell... I've had deco stops deeper than that... You're going to have to take a shovel with you on some of those West Texas dives so that you can get a bit deeper... <grin> > > So far I haven't been in a position that it would matter anyway. > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > You're going to have to take a shovel with you on some of those West > Texas dives so that you can get a bit deeper... <grin> hehe... The deepest I've been out here in the wonders of the Texas desert is 25 ffw. Or less. I hit around 50 ish in Negril. > The deepest I've been out here in the wonders of the Texas desert is 25 ffw. > > Or less. OK, I stand corrected... You will need to take a back hoe along with you... > Thing is, when you do that you are removing part of the reason I signal > someone to tell me how much gas they have, and that is to assess your level > of comfort, awareness and narcosis. Really, I don't even have to ask, I can > just look at your gauge. And with respect to the eyesight of some of us, we can read the other person's gauge easier than we can read our own... <grin> "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Thing is, when you do that you are removing part of the reason I signal :someone to tell me how much gas they have, and that is to assess your level :of comfort, awareness and narcosis. Really, I don't even have to ask, I can :just look at your gauge. Why are you not able to base that opinion on the fact that your buddy showed you his guage? Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. > Why are you not able to base that opinion on the fact that your buddy > showed you his guage? Doesnt require much more thought than what an amoeba could come up with. "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Doesnt require much more thought than what an amoeba could come up with. So it tells you that he is not overthinking simple questions. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. > "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: > > :Doesnt require much more thought than what an amoeba could come up with. > > So it tells you that he is not overthinking simple questions. Whatever. Don't worry, I'll never ask or expect you to communicate your remaining gas supply to me. > Don't worry, I'll never ask or expect you to communicate your remaining gas > supply to me. Awh, 'ell, remaining gas supply is a boolean value... You either have it, or you don't... >> >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > them > my gauge. I find signals easier. Get your buddies attention a quick tap on your gauge and you can signal using 1 finger to represent 10 bar or point at him to ask his air situation. Makes for easier dive planning IMO > >> >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > >> >> [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > and you can signal using 1 finger to represent 10 bar or point at him to ask > his air situation. Makes for easier dive planning IMO My gauge isn't accurate enough to represent 1 psi and I don't think my regulator would be breathing at that point. I'd guess the regulator would more or less stop around 75 psi or so. >> >> >>> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> >> >> [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > regulator would be breathing at that point. I'd guess the regulator would > more or less stop around 75 psi or so. my gauge's markings is not accurate enough to represent 1 bar. However that is totally irrelevent, I want to know if I have got a good fill or not, when I have used 1/2 my air and when my buddy has and when I am down to 50 bar and the he/she or it I am diving with is at the same level. If I have got a 219 instead of a 220 fill or if I/my buddy is at 50 vs 49 or 51 doesn't matter to me. A quick hand signal saying I have app whatever bar left is all that I want to know and my buddy needs to know > that's crap I use bars when diving ( brain explosion on my part). The signal > for 103.421172 bar is 10 fingers held up or 5 fingers held up twice. So what > is your signal for 725.188 690 036 pound/square inch which is a figure I am > always interested in when diving It all boils down to a particular number of significant digits that you are willing to live with... For psi, I suspect most people are willing to go with 2 significant digits or basically how many hundreds of psi you have left since that is what our gauges are marked in... Thus, we're probably willing to just quote tank pressures from 0 to 30... With bars / ATMs, you're probably willing to quote in values from 0 to 20... The metric SPGs that I've seen were marked in 10 bar increments... It's not unreasonable to assume that one might skip the last digit since it is always zero... Thus, 140 bar would be signed as 14 instead of 140... We would probably sign the same pressure as 20 or 21 since it is equivalent to 2058 psi... >> that's crap I use bars when diving ( brain explosion on my part). The >> signal [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > 14 instead of 140... We would probably sign the same pressure as 20 or > 21 since it is equivalent to 2058 psi... sounds fair > > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > > Same with bar. > > It's a lot easier to tell your buddy you have 1,500 psi left rather > than saying you have 103.421172 bar, but whatever floats your boat. So whats the hand signal for a decimal point? Dennis >> > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > So whats the hand signal for a decimal point? I don't normally ( actually never ) signal the temp to my buddy > I don't normally ( actually never ) signal the temp to my buddy Even if your buddy is blind and can't read his own temperature gauge? >> I don't normally ( actually never ) signal the temp to my buddy > > Even if your buddy is blind and can't read his own temperature gauge? all our gauges in Australia have a scale in Braille as well >>> I don't normally ( actually never ) signal the temp to my buddy >> >> Even if your buddy is blind and can't read his own temperature gauge? > > all our gauges in Australia have a scale in Braille as well -That- was good. Signature"I wasn't going to get into any of this until later, but you asked a reasonable question. The problem for me in answering is that I'm theorizing with more intuited logic than facts." -JOF Popeye/ www.finalprotectivefire.com > all our gauges in Australia have a scale in Braille as well All that would take is removing the faceplate off the SPG so you can feel where the hands are pointed... > >> > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > I don't normally ( actually never ) signal the temp to my buddy I thought 103.421172 bar is tank pressure. Dennis >> >> > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > I thought 103.421172 bar is tank pressure. I thought it was some strange imperial temp measure :-) On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> wrote: > > >> > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Dennis If it's temperature, that's one sick puppy in C or in F. I always thought the metric system was just for people who have a hard time dividing by 12. gc > On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I always thought the metric system was just for people who have a hard > time dividing by 12. than you thought wrong > > On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > than you thought wrong I know. Eventually we'll all be doing metric. If it wasn't for certain sports events that have a long tradition of imperial measures, we'd probably have made the conversion by now. I used to run the mile in high school, and I lament that hardly anyone runs the mile any more, nor even 1600 meters. The four-minute mile was a great standard, now nearly meaningless. The only one I really have trouble with, though, is figuring out gasoline prices overseas. First, you have to convert from liters to gallons, then do the currency conversion. By the time I realize, again, that the US has the cheapest gas in the world except for Ecuador, I have a headache and have to lie down. gc > The only one I really have trouble with, though, is figuring out > gasoline prices overseas. First, you have to convert from liters to > gallons, then do the currency conversion. By the time I realize, > again, that the US has the cheapest gas in the world except for > Ecuador, I have a headache and have to lie down. The gasoline is ought to be put in the tank! Btw, gasoline prices in Russia were about 20 Rubl/liter that is 0.60 Euro. How does that compare? Matthias > > The only one I really have trouble with, though, is figuring out > > gasoline prices overseas. First, you have to convert from liters to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Matthias That would be about $3.10 a gallon, which is a tad higher than I can get in my area (Maryland) right now (I've seen it as low as $2.89 in some places). gc >> > On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> >> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > again, that the US has the cheapest gas in the world except for > Ecuador, I have a headache and have to lie down. Fair enough, you'd hate the petrol prices over here > >> "George Cathcart" <george.cathc...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Fair enough, you'd hate the petrol prices over here- Not me. My car runs on gas. >> >> "George Cathcart" <george.cathc...@gmail.com> wrote in message >> [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > > Not me. My car runs on gas. even the gas prices over here are expensive. > On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > gc I've wondered if they have metric degrees for circles, totalling to 100, or if they keep the same 360 used in Imperial geometry. ;-) Dennis >> On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> >> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > if they keep the same 360 used in Imperial geometry. > ;-) I don't think that degrees is either an imperial or Si units. IMHO using the imperial system just makes a rod or a rood for your own back :-) <snip> > > I've wondered if they have metric degrees for circles, totalling to 100, > > or [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > IMHO using the imperial system just makes a rod or a rood for your own back > :-) Good thing I have the stones to deal with it. Dennis > <snip> >> > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Good thing I have the stones to deal with it. I must admit that imperil units are on topic for a diving ng because of the perchs, rods ( fishing), poles ( fishing ) and chains ( anchor ) involved On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:29:42 -0600, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkmail@ever.invalid> wrote: > I've wondered if they have metric degrees for circles, totalling to 100, or > if they keep the same 360 used in Imperial geometry. > ;-) The closest they come is when you do measurements in 'grads'... 100 grads = 90 degrees... Blame it on the fuckin' French... http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Decimal_time.html > On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:29:42 -0600, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" > <nojunkmail@ever.invalid> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Decimal_time.html radians are the angle measurements in SI units > radians are the angle measurements in SI units So the metric GPSs give position in radians? <snicker> Read the article that I posted... They tried to get away from degrees and found out how much it screwed up everything... >> radians are the angle measurements in SI units > > So the metric GPSs give position in radians? <snicker> > > Read the article that I posted... They tried to get away from degrees > and found out how much it screwed up everything... I did, very interesting article notice the same "problems" occurred with time as well. However it seems the French proposal fell down not because it was not a better or more logical system but because the whole world was unified in the old system. The other aspects of the metric system were however a more unifying system which when added to the fact that it is a more logical and rational system able to be derived from 7 base units. Oh well each to there own, the differences make the world an interesting place On Jul 10, 5:29 pm, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> wrote: > > On Jul 10, 8:40 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > if they keep the same 360 used in Imperial geometry. > ;-) And why not metric time? > On Jul 10, 5:29 pm, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > And why not metric time? See grummans post > On Jul 10, 5:29 pm, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > And why not metric time? They tried that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_time A more recent proposal http://zapatopi.net/metrictime/ SignatureDennis "For instance, on planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on, while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were more intelligent than man, for precisely the same reasons." --Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, chapter 23. >>I always thought the metric system was just for people who have a hard >>time dividing by 12. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I've wondered if they have metric degrees for circles, totalling to 100, or > if they keep the same 360 used in Imperial geometry. Sometimes we use 400 g for a full circle. That makes it really spin. Matthias > > > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > So whats the hand signal for a decimal point? Middle finger. >> > > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Middle finger. That was great. Signature"I wasn't going to get into any of this until later, but you asked a reasonable question. The problem for me in answering is that I'm theorizing with more intuited logic than facts." -JOF Popeye/ www.finalprotectivefire.com > > > > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Middle finger. My dive bud in Cayman hadnt taken the advanced diver class, but wanted to see the effecs of narcosis by trying toi do some math problems. So I agreed to give him a couple. He was an engineer as well, so first wass pretty easy addition, then a straight forward algebra, then taking the first derivative. He got all three right - even got theoretical. All he wrote fo the last one was F.U., which I took tommean that there's a function f(u) = f'(x)..... ;-) Dennis >> > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > So whats the hand signal for a decimal point? That was good. Signature"I wasn't going to get into any of this until later, but you asked a reasonable question. The problem for me in answering is that I'm theorizing with more intuited logic than facts." -JOF Popeye/ www.finalprotectivefire.com > It's a lot easier to tell your buddy you have 1,500 psi left rather > than saying you have 103.421172 bar, but whatever floats your boat. With an imperial based SPG, it is graduated in 100 psi units and you'll probably sign to your buddy "15" since it's not unreasonable to assume that the hundreds will be implicitly understood... With the metric SPG, it is graduated in 10 bar units and you'll probably sign to your buddy "10" for 100 bar since the last zero will be implicitly understood... Depending upon your personal conservative factor, you might always truncate downward or you might actually round upwards or downwards as appropriate... > we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate I thought ya'll used commas over there... >> we also have decimal points if you want to get more accurate > > I thought ya'll used commas over there... stop thinking and you may get it right ;-) >> Left earliest on the Thursday morning 28/5 for the airport and our flight up >> to Hamilton Island which is about 900km north of Brisbane in Queensland. [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >18 is warm???? Up here that's shriveldick temps. John, I thought you Cannucks had all gone over to the metric dark side. That's like the Brits, who can't even legally sell a good pint to a man anymore. Not that they don't do it on a regular basis. Signaturedillon Broadway Photo sucks. Ask me why. > >> Left earliest on the Thursday morning 28/5 for the airport and our flight up > >> to Hamilton Island which is about 900km north of Brisbane in Queensland. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > side. That's like the Brits, who can't even legally sell a good pint > to a man anymore. Not that they don't do it on a regular basis. I was talking about Celsius. 64F isn't my idea of warm. We got stuck with litres for gas, kilometers for the highway, kilo's for meat (although they cop out and put #'s in small print), and Celsius for temps. The rest the gov't caved on before getting it all in place. Of course they waited until industry & commerce had wasted a bunch of money setting up for the transition. Us old farts still think in the old measure, but not our kids. To me Matt's 6'5, to him he's just under 2 meters. If I say it's 90 out he looks at me like I'm nuts "The world isn't about to explode yet, dad." When I reminisce about the good old car and bike days, how we actually went speeds like 125 occasionally, the kids just shrug, big deal. Some of the workarounds make things like driving in the US problematic. My wife's car can be switched from Imperial to metric so even the analog looking speedo shows either miles or kilos. We had crossed back into Canada a couple of weeks ago and I was driving. At one point I was pretty much alone on the highway, glanced at the speedo and saw I was only doing 60. I figured my speed sense had dulled after 5 hours on the US highways so I speeded up a bit. Well before I hit the local speed limit of 100 I realized I was going way too fast. We switched the computer back to metric then. JF > I was talking about Celsius. 64F isn't my idea of warm. We got stuck > with litres for gas, kilometers for the highway, kilo's for meat > (although they cop out and put #'s in small print), and Celsius for > temps. When I was in Toronto, I noticed that the kilograms were in small print on the signs above the meat / produce at one grocery store that we went to... > Some of the workarounds make things like driving in the US > problematic. My wife's car can be switched from Imperial to metric so [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > before I hit the local speed limit of 100 I realized I was going way > too fast. We switched the computer back to metric then. Yeah, I noticed that feature on our rental car when I was up there... I figure it would be fun to switch it to US units for the next guy using the car... <evil-grin> On Jul 13, 12:44 am, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM- gmail.com> wrote: > > I was talking about Celsius. 64F isn't my idea of warm. We got stuck > > with litres for gas, kilometers for the highway, kilo's for meat [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I figure it would be fun to switch it to US units for the next guy > using the car... <evil-grin> At least I noticed the speed thing felt all wrong just before I hit 100 mph. Mebbe the new cars are just too smooth and quiet. JF > At least I noticed the speed thing felt all wrong just before I hit > 100 mph. Mebbe the new cars are just too smooth and quiet. They definitely are... Hell, my pickup feels smoother at 100 mph than the '69 Pontiac I had felt way back in my younger days... The Pontiac was heavy, but it felt like it was wanting to come off the ground once you got past 85 or so... Very light steering... Just felt squirrelly... > Oh well I have the memories I am typing this with the temp at 4 degrees C > it is pissing down with rain and I am cold and wet after feeding the > horses and cattle. It's good to be home. Thanks for the report. Another place I'd like to visit. <snip> >Some of the younger blokes were doing 6 dives in a day but my max was 4 and >mostly I did 3 :- morning afternoon and a dusk/night dive. The water was >warm 18 degrees or so and the vis was normally fantastic 20m+ although we >had a few dives where is was down to 5 m or so due to the currents running >around the atolls/islands. 18. Man, that is so warm. And you're in the middle of winter. >The next Thursday we head back to Daydream and I spent 2 nights there with >the family before heading back to Sydney to watch Aus play South Africa in a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >limited OS diving experience the GBR has some of the best diving in the >world. No doubt. >Highlights > >1) going back to Daydream Island on the first Saturday night and watching >Australia beat the All Blacks ( New Zealand ) in rugby on a huge outdoor >screen, cold beer, the moon the stars and the Southern Cross in the >background Ain't that such a freak event! >2) finishing a dive and not being able to get back to the boat because there >was a whale between us, absolutely magic floating around watching this >creature What kind of whale? That would be so cool. >3) coming up from a dive and bitching because the vis was 15m not the normal >20m vis, than remembering that where I normally dive 8 to 10m is good The worst vis I've ever had was about .5m, in the Madawaska River at Arnprior. It was a sunny day, but at about 2-3m down it was lights out. >4) just the diving the coral the fish the rays and sharks Hmmmmm >Comments > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >2) by the end of the trip I was feeling quite jaded with the diving maybe a >week is to long A few years ago I went on a diving trip on the St Lawrence River onboard a converted tug boat. Following the night dive with some cold beer, looking up at the stars. I'm there, even if it wasn't the GBR. >Oh well I have the memories I am typing this with the temp at 4 degrees C it >is pissing down with rain and I am cold and wet after feeding the horses and >cattle. OK, now you're getting cold. >Hopefully I will post some photos in the not to distant future No upchucking shots I hope. |
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